TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio Amish woman accused of drowning her 4-year-old son at Atwood Lake entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity on Monday, according to court records.
Ruth R. Miller, 40, of Holmes County, was arraigned in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court on multiple charges, including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, child endangering, and domestic violence.
Authorities say Miller was allegedly acting under a “spiritual delusion” when she allegedly threw her youngest son, Vincen Miller, into the lake, resulting in his drowning. Investigators report that she had previously claimed that God instructed her to commit the act.
Miller’s defense attorney entered the plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, citing her alleged mental state at the time of the incidents.
The grand jury indictment lists a total of seven charges:
- One count of aggravated murder
- One count of murder
- One count of felonious assault
- One count of child endangering for her 15-year-old daughter
- Three counts of domestic violence involving her 15-year-old daughter and her 18-year-old twin sons
According to police, Miller also crashed a golf cart into the lake with her three older children aboard. All three children survived the incident. The investigation suggests that these actions were part of what authorities described as faith-based “tests from God,” in which her husband, Marcus Miller, reportedly drowned after swimming to the middle of the lake.
She remains in custody, with no bond set. A hearing regarding bond is tentatively scheduled for September 25.
